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Video:How to Make Basil Oil

Basil oil is a simple but delicious addition to a variety of fish, meat and vegetable dishes. Watch this how-to video from About.com for a step-by-step recipe for basil oil.See Transcript

Transcript:How to Make Basil Oil

Hi, I'm Katherine Lee for About.com. And this is Danielle Butler-Leu, a wonderful chef. She's gonna show us today how to make a basil oil. Very exciting.

Blanch the Basil for Basil Oil

I have a pot of boiling water. It's just on a low boil. And I have about, I would say two large bunches of basil that's been cleaned and trimmed. And I'm gonna just blanch this, which is basically, I'm throwing this in here. Okay? So just blanching means you just literally put it in there for, like, a minute. Yes, not even. Seconds. Okay, so now Katherine, next what we're gonna do is just try to take the extra water, excess water out of this basil. Again, I mention, I just don't want it to be super watery.

Blend the Basil Oil

And it's weird to see so much basil and then just have this little product. That's why you wanna start with a lot more than you would think. And next, we are gonna Cuisinart this with the oil. Okay, so now, we're gonna add the olive oil. All right? And we're just gonna do a slow, slow drizzle on this. And how much olive oil are you putting in with the basil? You can totally decide this on your own. Um, I do a half cup to a cup. It depends on how potent you want your basil oil to be. So if you put in only half a cup, it's gonna be stronger. More basil-y?

Yes. So, Katherine, not everybody adds salt to basil oil. I personally do because I think it helps develop the flavor. So I'm gonna Cuisinart this for just a few seconds with some salt as well. And just like, maybe a half teaspoon. And you can use kosher salt? Is that better? Yes. And we are done.

Tips for Storing Basil Oil

So, Katherine, I love this as an appetizer. It goes so well. It seems like an odd combination, but trust me, it's delicious. Such an interesting melding of flavors. They go well together? The apples and the basil oil. They really do. Now I wanna show you something else. If you want it a little bit more refined, you can also strain the basil out and you see something like this. This is a small strainer. The metal helps catch most of the leaves, and it looks prettier. That's amazing. So basically this is just this oil strained. It's the same thing.

And it is the same color as your sweater. Which was my plan. It's really beautiful. I can't wait to taste it. I cannot wait for you to taste it. Now I do wanna add one thing: This is only good in your fridge for about three days, as basil is a fresh herb. It can go a little rancid if it goes any longer. So you should store the oil in the refrigerator and only for up to three days.

Tips for Serving Basil Oil

Thank you so much for this wonderful appetizer. What else can you use this oil on? You can use it on fish, on chicken, on a lot of different things. I think your imagination could, should just run wild with this. Okay, sounds good. I can't wait. Thank you so much, Danielle, for showing us how to make this basil olive oil.

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